Mal Moore admired for who he was off the field as much as on

‘A good soul, a kind and decent man’

Mal Moore seen at Bryant-Denny Stadium stepped down as the University of Alabama athletic director because of health concerns earlier this month.

Robert Sutton | Tuscaloosa News

By Stephanie TaylorStaff Writer

Published: Monday, April 1, 2013 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, March 31, 2013 at 10:47 p.m.

Hannah Trammell was 13 and at one of her first University of Alabama football games when she met Mal Moore.

“He drove up on this Alabama golf cart and said ‘I have two 50-yard-line tickets here, you go enjoy the game,’ ” said Trammell, now a 22-year-old UA senior from Hayden. “I had no idea who he was, but I could tell he was somebody important. He was so distinguished.”

“It didn’t surprise me a bit that Mal Moore would do something like that,” he said. “Alabama football and people surrounding it are great folks.”

The Trammells were among the legions of UA fans saddened by the death of the former UA athletic director, who died at the age of 73 on Saturday at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina from pulmonary problems.

Hannah Trammell had the chance to tell Moore of their first meeting when she met him again in January. She was working as an intern for Caring Days, a day program for adults with memory disorders and went to Moore’s office with director Vicki Kerr. Moore learned Trammell was a football fan, and took time to show her photos he had taken during the 2012 football season.

“I’m sure he was busy, but he took the time to talk to us,” she said. “He put on his coat, and buttoned it up just to take a picture with me.”

Kerr, who has known Moore for many years, said she wasn’t surprised to hear Trammell’s story about the football tickets.

“He told me that he always liked to go out and give tickets to people who had kids,” Kerr said. “He was a genuinely nice guy. For all the awards and recognition he received, he was still totally humble.”

Kerr said that Moore was always a supporter of Caring Days. The organization’s new building that opened in 2012 was named the Mal and Charlotte Moore Caring Days Center, in honor of Moore and his wife.

Charlotte Moore was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 1990 and died in January 2010 at 71.

Moore would visit her at least once a day, sometimes twice, when she lived in LaRocca Nursing Home in Alberta, said former director Lyman Hardy.

“He’d show up at 10 after 12 every day or right at 5. He’d have lunch with the nurses, he was just like one of us,” said Hardy, now director of Morning Pointe, an assisted living facility in Tuscaloosa. “Someone asked why he would visit every day if she didn’t know who he was. He answered ‘But I know who she is.’ That’s just the perfect example of what you should see in a marriage. He was such a good soul, a kind and decent man.”

Kerr spoke at a conference with Moore and learned that they had the same way of preparing for a public speech — by not writing the speech ahead of time.

“He said ‘I never prepare what I’m going to say, I just get up and talk,’ ” she said. “But he spoke from his heart. Everything he said, he spoke from his heart.”

She recalled hearing Moore tell the story of when he realized how serious his wife’s condition was. He was the quarterback coach at the time and was at an away game in Mississippi, Kerr said. He called several times to check on Charlotte, but couldn’t get her. Finally, a neighbor who had no luck ringing the doorbell walked to the rear of the home and saw her through the window, looking at the phone as if she didn’t know what to do.

“He told that story, and he told about how he would see his neighbors and friends, husbands and wives, going out to eat dinner. He hadn’t been able to do that for years,” Kerr said. “I admire people who, when they say ‘in sickness and in health,’ they mean it. That was him.”

Moore was a source of inspiration for other caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients, Kerr said.

“He would have men call him, who knew that he had a demanding life. They would call and ask ‘how do you do it?’,” she said. “He would be encouraging to all of them, try to help them and let them know that they could do it.”

Amy Bryan Baggett worked as an assistant to Moore and his assistant Judy Tanner between 2000 and 2004.

“Coach Moore was funny, charming, generous and most of all, real,” she said. “He had a welcoming personality and handled many tough situations with grace. The love he had for his wife, Charlotte, was, to say the least, inspiring. He will be missed by many ... not only because of what he did for the University of Alabama, but because he was just a great person to know and love.”

“He got things going in a positive direction,” Ingram said. “He didn’t panic, he was always cool. Calling plays for Coach Bryant can put a lot of ice water in your veins.”

Moore had a good sense of humor, he said, and was well-liked by players and staff.

“Mal didn’t have a big ego. He was always a team player. If things went good, he didn’t feel like he needed to take credit,” Ingram said. “He was just a regular guy. He liked people, he liked to be around them and he liked to help people out. He was a good man.”

<p>Hannah Trammell was 13 and at one of her first University of Alabama football games when she met Mal Moore. </p><p>“He drove up on this Alabama golf cart and said 'I have two 50-yard-line tickets here, you go enjoy the game,' ” said Trammell, now a 22-year-old UA senior from Hayden. “I had no idea who he was, but I could tell he was somebody important. He was so distinguished.”</p><p>Trammell's father Scott Trammell knew exactly who the athletic director was. </p><p>“It didn't surprise me a bit that Mal Moore would do something like that,” he said. “Alabama football and people surrounding it are great folks.”</p><p>The Trammells were among the legions of UA fans saddened by the death of the former UA athletic director, who died at the age of 73 on Saturday at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina from pulmonary problems.</p><p>Hannah Trammell had the chance to tell Moore of their first meeting when she met him again in January. She was working as an intern for Caring Days, a day program for adults with memory disorders and went to Moore's office with director Vicki Kerr. Moore learned Trammell was a football fan, and took time to show her photos he had taken during the 2012 football season.</p><p>“I'm sure he was busy, but he took the time to talk to us,” she said. “He put on his coat, and buttoned it up just to take a picture with me.”</p><p>Kerr, who has known Moore for many years, said she wasn't surprised to hear Trammell's story about the football tickets. </p><p>“He told me that he always liked to go out and give tickets to people who had kids,” Kerr said. “He was a genuinely nice guy. For all the awards and recognition he received, he was still totally humble.”</p><p>Kerr said that Moore was always a supporter of Caring Days. The organization's new building that opened in 2012 was named the Mal and Charlotte Moore Caring Days Center, in honor of Moore and his wife. </p><p>Charlotte Moore was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 1990 and died in January 2010 at 71.</p><p>Moore would visit her at least once a day, sometimes twice, when she lived in LaRocca Nursing Home in Alberta, said former director Lyman Hardy.</p><p>“He'd show up at 10 after 12 every day or right at 5. He'd have lunch with the nurses, he was just like one of us,” said Hardy, now director of Morning Pointe, an assisted living facility in Tuscaloosa. “Someone asked why he would visit every day if she didn't know who he was. He answered 'But I know who she is.' That's just the perfect example of what you should see in a marriage. He was such a good soul, a kind and decent man.”</p><p>Kerr spoke at a conference with Moore and learned that they had the same way of preparing for a public speech — by not writing the speech ahead of time.</p><p>“He said 'I never prepare what I'm going to say, I just get up and talk,' ” she said. “But he spoke from his heart. Everything he said, he spoke from his heart.”</p><p>She recalled hearing Moore tell the story of when he realized how serious his wife's condition was. He was the quarterback coach at the time and was at an away game in Mississippi, Kerr said. He called several times to check on Charlotte, but couldn't get her. Finally, a neighbor who had no luck ringing the doorbell walked to the rear of the home and saw her through the window, looking at the phone as if she didn't know what to do. </p><p>“He told that story, and he told about how he would see his neighbors and friends, husbands and wives, going out to eat dinner. He hadn't been able to do that for years,” Kerr said. “I admire people who, when they say 'in sickness and in health,' they mean it. That was him.”</p><p>Moore was a source of inspiration for other caregivers of Alzheimer's patients, Kerr said.</p><p>“He would have men call him, who knew that he had a demanding life. They would call and ask 'how do you do it?',” she said. “He would be encouraging to all of them, try to help them and let them know that they could do it.”</p><p>Amy Bryan Baggett worked as an assistant to Moore and his assistant Judy Tanner between 2000 and 2004. </p><p>“Coach Moore was funny, charming, generous and most of all, real,” she said. “He had a welcoming personality and handled many tough situations with grace. The love he had for his wife, Charlotte, was, to say the least, inspiring. He will be missed by many ... not only because of what he did for the University of Alabama, but because he was just a great person to know and love.” </p><p>Former UA Athletic Director Cecil “Hootie” Ingram hired Moore as associate athletic director. </p><p>“He got things going in a positive direction,” Ingram said. “He didn't panic, he was always cool. Calling plays for Coach Bryant can put a lot of ice water in your veins.”</p><p>Moore had a good sense of humor, he said, and was well-liked by players and staff. </p><p>“Mal didn't have a big ego. He was always a team player. If things went good, he didn't feel like he needed to take credit,” Ingram said. “He was just a regular guy. He liked people, he liked to be around them and he liked to help people out. He was a good man.”</p><p>Funeral announcements for Moore were pending Sunday night.</p><p>Reach Stephanie Taylor at stephanie.taylor@tuscaloosanews.com or 205-722-0210.</p>